Dear Governor Newsom: Where Is Our Coronavirus Testing?

A letter to the much-lauded California governor — because we know very little, and it’s frustrating

Dear Governor Newsom,

Thank you for your leadership during this terrible time of pandemic. We are grateful to be only the 10th most infected state in the country. As of Sunday, we are fortunate to have “only” 1,177 COVID-related deaths in our state, since — terrible as that is — we know the situation could be much worse.

However, as we enter our sixth week of quarantine in California, with statewide economic activity shut down, it feels urgent to point out that the state still does not have a plan to implement widespread testing of its citizens.

And as you pointed out last week in your six-part plan to reopen the state, that is the very first criterion required to even consider doing so. We need, you said: “testing, contact tracing, isolating and supporting those who are positive and exposed.” Is that happening?

All we know is that California lags far behind other states — notably New York — in testing. That there does not appear to be a project underway to proactively test individuals and implement contact tracing in any discernible timeframe. And that health experts say we are going to need testing of more than 1 million people per day in the country to safely reopen.

As literally captive citizens, we are left with a lot of unanswered questions:

• Why does California lag behind other states in testing?

• How long will it take until the necessary measures to conduct widespread testing are in place?

• What is the baseline testing result that health experts are seeking in order to change any of the current shelter in place requirements?

I posed those questions to your office and the California Department of Public Health and received several polite responses directing me to this graph, showing that 14,000 people were tested on Saturday in California. But no actual information.

“The Governor created a COVID-19 Testing Task Force, a public-private collaboration that will work with stakeholders to rapidly boost testing capacity. (4/4/2020),” I was told.

And then I was told: “When we have more details to share on the Governor’s testing goal, we will let you know. For now, we will let his comments, and the information provided to date in news releases speak for themselves.”

Governor Newsom, that is totally unacceptable. You promised two weeks ago that California was starting a “new day” on testing, and acknowledged that our effort had been wholly inadequate until that time.

First: let’s acknowledge that the federal government run by President Trump bears the actual responsibility to lead the effort to contain the pandemic, including to conduct widespread testing. However, as you clearly recognized weeks ago, you cannot rely on the Trump administration to act. And indeed now he has decided to formally abdicate testing responsibilities to the state.

Secondly, while there is now testing available for people with symptoms who want a test, that is far from adequate, placing the onus on the infected patient to decide if they need one. To do so they need to “apply online,” according to L.A. County. And Los Angeles still lags behind San Francisco by a factor of three.

It is time to tell us what level of testing will be required to move past this stage. It is time to reveal where the problems are in achieving widespread testing, and to publicly address what you are doing about them.

Two weeks ago, you named a Testing Task Force co-chaired by Dr. Charity Dean, Assistant Director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), and Blue Shield of California President and CEO Paul Markovich. I wonder: Why were no technology leaders included? Don’t we need the expertise that Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg or Apple’s Tim Cook or Google’s Sergei Brin could bring to this necessary effort to understand the location and pace of infection?

It’s not too late to address that, and it would certainly be a good use of Facebook’s resources that they are eager to contribute.

As I’ve written, we need greater transparency, clear information and the use of this great state’s resources in the private sector — notably in technology and entrepreneurship — so we can move beyond this stage of the quarantine.

Celebrities Who Have Died From the Coronavirus (Photos)

The world continues to be upended by the coronavirus pandemic, with more people contracting COVID-19 as the days pass. While many have recovered, some have died from complications of the illness. These are the names of some notable figures from Hollywood and the media that we have lost.

Terrence McNally, a four-time Tony Award-winning playwright, died on March 24 at the age of 81 of complications from the coronavirus. His works included "Master Class," "Love! Valour! Compassion!" and "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune," which later became a film with Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino.

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Italian actress Lucia Bosè, who starred in such films as Michelangelo Antonioni’s "Story of a Love Affair" (1950) and Juan Antonio Bardem’s "Death of a Cyclist" (1955), died on March 23 of pneumonia after contracting COVID-19, according to the Guardian. She was 89.

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Chef Floyd Cardoz, winner of "Top Chef Masters" Season 3, died at the age of 59 of coronavirus complications on March 25.

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Mark Blum, who starred in "Desperately Seeking Susan," "Crocodile Dundee" and the Lifetime/Netflix series "You," died on March 26 of coronavirus complications. The veteran character actor and regular on New York City stages was 69.

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Maria Mercader, a CBS News veteran who worked for over 30 years as a reporter and talent director, died March 29 after testing positive for coronavirus. She was 54.

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Grammy-winning country music singer Joe Diffie died March 29 due to complications from the coronavirus. He announced his diagnosis just two days prior.

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American rock musician Alan Merrill, best known for co-writing and recording the original version of "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," died March 29 of complications from the coronavirus. He was 69.

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Popular Japanese comedian Ken Shimura, whose career spanned decades, died March 29 due to complications from the coronavirus. He was 70.

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Andrew Jack, a dialect coach who most recently was hired to work with Robert Pattinson on the new Batman movie, died March 31 of complications from coronavirus, TMZ reports. He also appeared in "Star Wars: Episode VII" as a member of Leia's resistance. Jack was 76.

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Adam Schlesinger, Fountains of Wayne singer and "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" contribute, died at the age of 52 from coronavirus complications on April 1.

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Ellis Marsalis Jr., New Orleans jazz legend and father of Wynton and Branford Marsalis, died at 85 from COVID-19 complications, Branford said. "Ellis Marsalis was a legend. He was the prototype of what we mean when we talk about New Orleans jazz... He was a teacher, a father, and an icon — and words aren’t sufficient to describe the art, the joy and the wonder he showed the world," New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said also.

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Eddie Large, one-half of the comedy duo Little and Large, died April 2 after contracting coronavirus while hospitalized for heart failure. He was 78.

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Sergio Rossi, the Italian shoe designer, died at age 84 after being hospitalized with the virus, the brand confirmed in an Instagram post Friday.

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Patricia Bosworth, a stage and screen actress turned journalist who penned celebrity biographies, died April 2 from complications of the coronavirus. She was 86.

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Tom Dempsey, New Orleans Saints legendary kicker who was born without toes on his right foot and wore a flat shoe that he kicked with, died on April 4 from complications of COVID-19.

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John Prine, one of the most influential and revered folk and country songwriters of the last 50 years, died on April 6 at the age of 73 after being infected with the COVID-19 virus.

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Allen Garfield, who appeared in such films as “The Conversation,” “Nashville” and “Irreconcilable Differences,” died April 7 due to coronavirus complications, according to his sister. He was 80.

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Charles Gregory, an Emmy-nominated hairstylist who frequently collaborated with Tyler Perry on his films and TV shows, died of complications from COVID-19 on April 8.

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Hilary Heath, an actress and producer who starred opposite Vincent Price in horror movies in the late 1960s and early '70s, died in April of COVID-19 complications. She was 74.

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Rick May, a voice actor best known to gamers as the husky-throated Soldier in Team Fortress 2, died in Swedish nursing home on April 13 after contracting COVID-19. He was 79.

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Allen Daviau, a 5-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer, died April 15 at age 77. He frequently collaborated with Steven Spielberg, and worked on such films as "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" and "The Color Purple"

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Henry Grimes, celebrated jazz bassist, died on April 15 at age 84, according to WGBO. He worked with such legends as Thelonius Monk, Charles Mingus and Sonny Rollins.

'Knight Rider' and 'Magnum P.I.' producer Joel Rogosin died of coronavirus at the MPTF nursing home. He became the fifth person to die from COVID-19 complications at the facility.

Art director Matteo De Cosmo, who worked on films including "Emergence," "The Punisher" and "Luke Cage," died of coronavirus complications. He was 52.

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Roy Horn, best known as half of the legendary Siegfried & Roy magic and animal act in Las Vegas, died on May 8 from complications due to coronavirus.

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Legendary Auburn football coach Pat Dye died on June 1 after combating COVID-19 and other medical conditions. He was 80.

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Chris Trousdale, a member of the boy band Dream Street, died of coronavirus complications on June 2. He was 34.

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While many celebrities who contracted COVID-19 have recovered, some have died from complications of the illness

The world continues to be upended by the coronavirus pandemic, with more people contracting COVID-19 as the days pass. While many have recovered, some have died from complications of the illness. These are the names of some notable figures from Hollywood and the media that we have lost.